Extreme metal

Extreme metal is an umbrella term, somewhat loosely defined, for a number of related heavy metal subgenres that have developed since the 1980s. Though the term does not refer to any specific style or sound, it most commonly refers to music associated with thrash metal, black metal, death metal, and doom metal.
Though not well-known to mainstream music fans, extreme metal has influenced an array of musical performers inside and outside of heavy metal, and thrives in various devoted subcultures.

Definitions
"Extreme" can be meant to describe any of the following traits: music (whether it's intended to be faster, more aggressive, abrasive or "heavier" than other metal styles), lyrics (dealing with darker, more sensational topics and themes), vocals (which often use guttural, harsh or abrasive singing), or appearance and stage demeanor (using corpse paint, Satanic or occult imagery). The "extreme" label is most commonly applied to bands whose music is extreme; for example, few would consider Kiss or Alice Cooper to be extreme metal, though they could be considered to employ "extreme" elements in their appearance and stage demeanor for their time.

According to ethnographer Keith Kahn-Harris, the defining characteristics of extreme metal can all be regarded as clearly transgressive: the "extreme" traits noted above are all intended to violate or transgress given cultural, artistic, social or aesthetic boundaries.

Given the vagueness of existing definitions and considering the limitations such definitions have, there are many artists for whom the usage of the term "extreme metal" is a subject of debate. However, Kahn-Harris also notes that many musicians and fans see such debates over style and genre as useless and unnecessary, or at least as given undue attention.

Characteristics

Structure

Though songs in traditional heavy metal may be louder, harsher or more abrasive than rock music in general, the underlying elements of melody, harmony and rhythm are generally similar to those in rock and pop music. Conventional melodies – one of the key elements of popular music – are often of limited importance in extreme metal, if not absent entirely, although chord progressions are still present and important. Extreme metal songs rarely have the central focus of a melodic "pop hook," and when present, melodic elements more typically provide an instrumental backdrop rather than a central focus.Vocals
One of the more apparent characteristics of extreme metal is the vocals. Extreme metal singing includes various extended techniques; from harsh, guttural death growls (characteristic of death metal) to high-pitched shrieking (characteristic of black metal). Thrash metal vocalists commonly employ a harsh or shouted vocal style. Extreme metal vocalists can use one or more techniques, and some bands have multiple singers.

Tempo

Extreme metal is also characterized by its unusual tempo, which may range from very fast-paced –thrash, death and black metal can occasionally approach the extraordinary range of 300 beats per minute–to the extremely slow, as in funeral doom and drone doom. Drummers often utilize double-kick, double bass and blast beats, though not all make use of these techniques. Kahn-Harris notes that many extreme metal drummers take great pride in creating and playing drum patterns that are complex and demanding.

Guitars

Guitars in extreme metal are commonly distorted to create a thick or abrasive tone. Guitars are frequently tuned below the standard E: thrash metal and black metal guitarists usually tune a half or a whole-step down, while death metal and doom metal often tune even lower. Seven-string guitars (rather than the more common six-string guitars) are not unusual in extreme metal, particularly in death and doom metal. Kahn-Harris notes that extreme metal tends to defy the "riff-guitar solo" paradigm of heavy metal: Guitar solos are often of less importance in extreme metal than in other metal styles, and the chord progressions (or "riffs") in extreme metal are often unusual, complex and demanding.

History

Below is a basic summary explaining how the three primary extreme metal genres evolved:

• Heavy metal (late 1960s)
   
• New Wave of British Heavy Metal (late 1970s)
   
• Speed metal (early 1980s)
   
• Thrash metal (early 1980s)
  
  
• Black metal, Death metal (mid-late 1980s)
  

Origins (1970s)

Heavy metal music was developed in the late 1960s as a louder, more emphatic form of blues-rock. Heavy metal pioneers like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple all had strong roots in blues-roc, and although heavy metal was harder and louder than its predecessor, it retained a strong blues feel. A noted precursor to extreme metal, Budgie, "was among the heaviest metal of its day".
However, by the late 1970s, some heavy metal musicians were drifting away from the genre's blues roots. The most notable development was the so-called "New Wave of British Heavy Metal" (NWOBHM), which included groups like Iron Maiden, Saxon and Motörhead. These bands toned down the blues elements of earlier acts, increased the tempo, and adopted a harsher, tougher sound inspired by punk rock.

Early development (early 1980s)

The NWOBHM group Venom are widely considered one of the more important groups in the creation of extreme metal. Though critics have often characterized Venom's musicianship as mediocre or worse,the band was nonetheless influential. Their songs were among the fastest of their era, with harsh vocals and blatantly Satanic imagery. Their albums Welcome to Hell (1981) and Black Metal (1982) are regarded as foundational influences on extreme metal. Venom's members also adopted stage names intended to help create a menacing and mysterious persona. Though the practice is not universal, many extreme metal musicians have similarly adopted stage names, especially in black metal.

The early 1980s saw the development of speed metal and thrash metal, two distinct but nonetheless closely related styles that both drew influence from punk rock (particularly the emphasis on very fast tempos, 2/4 or implied 2/4 time, and brief songs found in hardcore punk). The "big four" of thrash metal (the American groups Anthrax, Megadeth, Slayer and Metallica) proved that extreme metal was a commercially viable force.

Diversification (mid 1980s–present)

According to Kahn-Harris, the mid-to-late 1980s saw vital new developments: death metal and grindcore. Both genres are partly distinguished by their use of blast beats, down-tuned electric guitars and growled vocals. At the beginning of the 1990s, the Norwegian black metal scene emerged, which helped to define black metal as a distinct genre.

Extreme metal earned an unprecedented level of international mainstream attention in the early and mid-1990s. Pioneering record label Earache Records, for example, signed a distribution deal with major label Columbia Records. However, much of the attention towards extreme metal was negative and focused on arsons on Christian churches and murders associated with the early Norwegian black metal scene.



Thanks To: Wikipedia.org
undestroyer.blogspot.com

Deathcore

Deathcore is an amalgamation of two musical styles: metalcore and death metal.

Characteristics
Deathcore is heavily influenced by modern death metal in its speed, heaviness, and approach to chromatic, heavily palm muted riffing and dissonance. Traditional growls, and screaming are prevalent, and sometimes metalcore yelling or shouting vocals are included. Much of deathcore features breakdowns and melodic riffs common in metalcore.

History

Though an early hybrid of death metal and crossover thrash was practiced by Michigan's Repulsion, New York death metal veterans Suffocation and Maryland's Dying Fetus were among the first death metal groups to make the breakdown a staple in their music. Additionally, the straight edge hardcore group Earth Crisis borrowed a great deal from death metal, as did Converge and Hatebreed. Before the rise of deathcore, bands such as Abscess and Unseen Terror used the term to describe hardcore punk/death metal hybrids. Germany's Blood also released a 1986 demo entitled Deathcore, while another German group, formed in 1987 and related to Blood, used "Deathcore" as a band name.

Deathcore seems to have most prominence within the southwestern United States, especially Arizona and California (most notably the Coachella Valley), which are home to many notable bands and various festivals.

Band	Country	Formed
The Acacia Strain	USA	2001
A Different Breed of Killer	USA	2006
The Agonist	Canada	2004
The Agony Scene	USA	2001
All Shall Perish	USA	2002
Animosity	USA	2000
Arsonists Get All the Girls	USA	2005
As Blood Runs Black	USA	2004
Asesino	USA	2002
The Black Dahlia Murder	USA	2000
Born of Osiris	USA	2007
Bring Me the Horizon	UK	2004
Burning Skies	UK	2002
Caliban	Germany	1997
Carnifex	USA	2005
The Concubine	USA	2003
Cryptopsy	Canada	1988
Dance Club Massacre	USA	2004
Dead Man in Reno	USA	2003
Despised Icon	Canada	2002
Elysia	USA	2003
Emmure	USA	2003
Eternal Lord	UK	2005
Frontside	Poland	1993
Glass Casket	USA	2001
God Forbid	USA	1997
Heaven Shall Burn	Germany	1997
Job for a Cowboy	USA	2002
Killwhitneydead	USA	2001
Knights of the Abyss	USA	2005
Malefice	UK	2003
Maroon	Germany	1998
Mendeed	UK	2000
Molotov Solution	USA	2004
Mortal Treason	USA	2001
My Bitter End	USA	2002
Nights Like These	USA	2003
Oceano	USA	2006
The Red Chord	USA	1999
The Red Death‎	USA	2002
The Red Shore	Australia	2004
Rose Funeral	USA	2005
Salt the Wound	USA	2001
See You Next Tuesday	USA	2005
Shot Down Sun	USA	2001
Suicide Silence	USA	2002
Through the Eyes of the Dead	USA	2002
Whitechapel	USA	2006
Winds of Plague	USA	2002

Thanks To: Wikipedia.org
undestroyer.blogspot.com

Metalcore

Metalcore is a fusion genre incorporating elements of hardcore punk and extreme metal. The name is a portmanteau of hardcore punk and heavy metal. The term took on its current meaning in the mid-1990s, describing bands like Earth Crisis, Deadguy and Integrity. The earliest of these groups, Integrity, began performing in 1988. Metalcore is distinguished from other punk metal fusions by its emphasis on breakdowns: slower, intense passages conducive to moshing.

History
Precursors (1977–1984)
Main article: Hardcore punk
Black Flag and Bad Brains, among the originators of hardcore, admired and emulated Black Sabbath. British street punk groups such as Discharge and The Exploited also took inspiration from heavy metal. The Misfits put out the Earth A.D. album, becoming a crucial influence on thrash. Nonetheless, punk and metal cultures and music remained separate through the first half of the 1980s.

Crossover thrash (1984–1988)
Main article: Crossover thrash
Cross-pollination between metal and hardcore eventually birthed the crossover thrash scene, which gestated at a Berkeley club called Ruthie's, in 1984. The term "metalcore" was originally used to refer to these crossover groups. Hardcore punk groups Corrosion of Conformity, Dirty Rotten Imbeciles and Suicidal Tendencies played alongside thrash metal groups like Metallica and Slayer. This scene influenced the skinhead wing of New York hardcore, which also began in 1984, and included groups such as Cro-Mags, Murphy's Law, Agnostic Front and Warzone. The Cro-Mags were among the most influential of these bands, drawing equally from Bad Brains, Motörhead, and Black Sabbath. Cro-Mags also embraced straight edge and, surprisingly enough, Krishna consciousness. Other New York straight edge groups included Gorilla Biscuits, Crumbsuckers, and Youth of Today, who inaugurated the youth crew style. 1985 saw the development of the hardcore breakdown, an amalgamation of Bad Brains' reggae and metal backgrounds, which encouraged moshing. Agnostic Front's 1986 album Cause for Alarm, a collaboration with Peter Steele, was a watershed in the intertwining of hardcore and metal.

Metallic hardcore (1989–2000)
Between 1989 and 1995, a new wave of hardcore bands emerged. These included Integrity, Earth Crisis, Converge, Shai Hulud,Starkweather, Judge, Bloodlet, Strife, Rorschach, Cave In, Vision of Disorder Hatebreed, and Candiria. Integrity drew influence primarily from the Japanese hardcore terrorism of G.I.S.M. and the metal of Slayer, with more subtle elements of Septic Death, Samhain, Motörhead, and Joy Division. And Earth Crisis, Converge, and Hatebreed borrowed from death metal. Shai Hulud's Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion and Earth Crisis's 1995 album Destroy the Machines was particularly influential. In guitarist Scott Crouse's words,
“It was a very mixed reaction. I'm often quoted as saying that Earth Crisis was the first hardcore band with a metal sound. Of course we weren't the first, but I think we definitely took it to another level. We heard a lot of, 'These guys are trying to be Pantera,' which we all took as a great compliment."
Biohazard, Coalesce, and Overcast were also important early metalcore groups. These groups are sometimes referred to as "metallic hardcore".

Melodic metalcore (1997–present)
In the late 1990s, a third wave of metalcore groups appeared, who placed significantly greater emphasis on melody.The First metalcore band to have such elements was Zao then later on such bands as Unearth, Bullet for My Valentine, Killswitch Engage, Trivium (early), Shadows Fall, All That Remains, Underoath and Atreyu emerged and are now the most commercially successful practitioners of metalcore.

Other notable metalcore bands include Haste the Day, Darkest Hour, Caliban, Bleeding Through, August Burns Red, Demon Hunter, It Dies Today, The Devil Wears Prada , and The Autumn Offering. These groups took major influence, cues, and writing styles from melodic death metal bands, particularly In Flames and At the Gates. Melodic metalcore frequently makes use of clean vocals, and is significantly less dissonant than other metalcore. Some of these groups, such as Shadows Fall, have voiced an affection for '80s glam metal. Melodic metalcore groups have been described as "embrac[ing] '80s metal clichés", such as "inordinate amounts of smoke machines, rippin' solos, [and] three bass drums".

In the mid-2000s, Metalcore emerged as a commercial force, with several independent metal labels, including Century Media and Metal Blade, signing metalcore bands. By 2004, melodic metalcore had become popular enough that Killswitch Engage's The End of Heartache, and Shadows Fall's The War Within debuted at numbers 21 and 20, respectively, on the Billboard album chart. All That Remains' single "Two Weeks" peaked at number nine at the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the U.S. The song peaked on the Modern Rock Tracks chart at number 38. Welsh metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine's second album, Scream Aim Fire, went straight to #4 on the Billboard 200. Underoath's fifth album Define the Great Line, released in 2006, peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts, selling 98,000 copies in its first week. Hatebreed, God Forbid, and As I Lay Dying have also charted. Underoath's most recent album Lost in the Sound of Separation has reached #8 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 56,000 copies in its first week of sales in the U.S. alone. Killswitch Engage's self-titled fifth album has reached #7 on the Billboard 200.


Thanks To: Wikipedia.org
undestroyer.blogspot.com